West Ham boss Sam Allardyce is interested in bringing Upton Park old boy Rio Ferdinand back to East London when the soon-to-be 34-year-old's contract expires next summer, 13 years after he left the Irons for the north of England.

Ferdinand began his career at West Ham when he made his professional debut in the Premier League as a precocious 17-year-old, going on to win England honours while at Upton Park, before leaving in a big money move to Leeds in 2000.

He subsequently packed his bags for Old Trafford in 2002 and racked up five Premier League titles, two League Cups and captained United to Champions League glory in 2008, but as the former England international enters the final years of his career, it seems as though he may need to see out his playing days elsewhere.

It would seem fitting to end his career where it all began, but how has that worked out for other players who played their final game for the same club where they made their debut? talkSPORT look at the footballers who bookended their careers at the same club...

Frank McAvennie
If Rio Ferdinand were to return to Upton Park, he would be following in the footsteps of West Ham cult hero Frank McAvennie, who went back to East London for a second spell at the club. Scottish striker McAvennie didn't begin and end his career at West Ham, though. He actually made his professional bow with St Mirren in 1980, joining West Ham in 1985, where he forged a sensational partnership with Tony Cottee, scoring 26 league goals as the Hammers achieved their highest ever placing of third in the top flight. After leaving for Celtic in 1987, he went back to West Ham for a three-year spell between 1989 and 1992, but had developed a reputation for being a party boy and drifted from club to club with little success over the next two years. Finally, McAvennie found himself back at St Mirren in the 1994/95 season, playing seven games without scoring in the Scottish First Division, before calling it a day aged 35.

David Batty
Archetypal no-nonsense Yorkshireman David Batty was a brilliant defensive midfielder whose ability to shield his back four earned him 42 caps for England and two top flight title winner's medals. In 1987 he made his debut for Leeds United as an 18-year-old, at a time when the club were languishing in the old Second Division. Within three years he had helped the Whites gain promotion and, by 1992, they were champions of England, with Batty forming part of a formidable midfield that also comprised Gary McAllister, Gordon Strachan and the late Gary Speed. Three years later Batty was a champion again, this time at Blackburn Rovers, having left Elland Road for £2.75m in 1993. A stint at Newcastle United and an FA Cup final appearance followed, before Batty moved back to Leeds for £4.4m in 1998. During his second spell at Elland Road, Batty helped the club reach the Champions League semi-finals in 2001, as they once again emerged as a major force in English football, but financial implosion saw the club's fortunes plunge. By the time Batty played his final game in white, being forced off through injury in a match against Newcaslte in January 2004, Leeds were just months away from Premier League relegation.

Frank Rijkaard
Ajax is famed for its youth development and Frank Rijkaard is one of the greatest examples of the Dutch club's success in that area. He made a goal-scoring debut for Ajax at the age of 17, playing over 200 games in a seven-year spell that saw him pick up three Dutch titles, three Dutch Cups and the European Cup Winners' Cup (a prestigious, but now defunct tournament contested by the winners of domestic cups). After a season in Spain with Real Zaragoza, the Dutch midfielder was snapped up by Italian giants AC Milan, where he excelled alongside compatriots Ruud Gullit and Marco van Basten in one of the greatest club teams in European football history. While at Milan he won back-to-back European Cups, scoring the winning goal against Benfica in the 1990 final, returning to Amsterdam after he added the 1992 and 1993 Serie A titles to his list of honours. Back at Ajax, Rijkaard – by then in his early 30s – served as an experienced lieutenant for coach Louis van Gaal's exciting young side, which featured the emerging talents of Clarence Seedorf, Edgar Davids and Patrick Kluivert, among others. Rijkaard moved further back into defence and collected a Champions League winner's medal in his final game, when Ajax beat his former club Milan in the 1995 final.

Andy Booth
Striker Andy Booth may not have been in the Frank Rijkaard or Rio Ferdinand class, but he's a hero to Huddersfield Town fans all the same. After making his debut for the Terriers in 1992 aged 18, Booth scored 52 league goals in 123 games in a four-year period in which Huddersfield rose up to the second tier. His goals earned him three England under-21 caps, in which he scored twice, before Premiership Sheffield Wednesday came calling. At Hillsborough, Booth – who was renowned for his aerial ability – scored 13 in his first season to help the Owls achieve a seventh-place finish, but it was downhill for the club after that and the striker would never reach double figures in the Premiership again. A loan spell at Tottenham in 2001 yielded little success and Booth rejoined a Huddersfield team struggling to stay in the second tier. Within two years the club had dropped into the bottom division, but Booth stayed loyal and helped them gain promotion back to League One, cementing his place in the affections of Huddersfield fans. He retired in 2009, scoring his 149th goal for Huddersfield on his final appearance in the blue and white stripes.

Sir Stanley Matthews
The Wizard of the Dribble, Sir Stanley Matthews is among the most celebrated players in football history. One of the best players of his generation, Matthews enjoyed a career of astonishing longevity; having made his debut for Stoke City aged 17 in 1932, he played his last game for the club, in the top flight, at the incredible age of 50. In between, Matthews also played 54 matches for England, stretching over 23 years, in a playing career that was sadly interrupted by the Second World War. After hostilities ended, Matthews transferred from Stoke to Blackpool in 1947, spending 14 years with the Seasiders and inspiring victory in one of the greatest FA Cup finals of all-time. He returned to Stoke in 1961, scoring a goal to help the Potters win promotion back among English football's elite in 1963, when he was crowned Footballer of the Year for a second time. A statue to Matthews was erected outside Stoke's new stadium the Britannia, in 2001, one year after he passed away.

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